Matthias Sperling

17 Manifestos Manifested (2015)

In response to the invitation to create a work with 17 graduating students at Trinity Laban Conservatoire for Music & Dance, Matthias Sperling asked each of these 17 artists to write a ten-point manifesto for their own activity following their graduation. In dialogue with Sperling, the artists then individually developed ways of embodying each of their manifesto points in performance, by using the skills and practices that they have developed during their studies. Using material from the artists' written manifestos, Sperling composed a 'collective shout poem', a rhythmic vocal composition shouted in unison by all of the performers from behind the lowered theatre curtain, forming the beginning of the work. The curtain rises to reveal a complex field of activity in which all 17 performers concurrently embody their individual manifesto points, accompanied by placards on which each of their points is written. Following the performances celebrating their graduation as a group, the artists were then invited by Sperling to adapt these manifestations of their manifestos as solo performances that they can present independently if they wish.